Vapor heating device



Jan. 15, 1929.

l. C. JENNINGS VAPOR HEATING DEVICE CINVENTQR Jr 1 1'76. BY W 71/ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

IRVING G. JENNINGS, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

VAPOR HEATING nnvrcn,

Application filed November 18 1926. Serial No. 148,746. it

The object of this invention is to improve the so-called vapor or lowpressure steam heating system. The improvement is illustrated in theaccompanying sheet of drawings, forming part of this application forpatent, and in which Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the application of myimprovement; and

Fig. 2 is a detail hereinafter referred to. Referring to the drawing indetail, 1 designates a steam boiler which supplies steam or vaporthrough supply pipes l to radiators 3 in the building or space to beheated. The main supply pipe 4: is usually provided with a shut-oilvalve 11. The radiators 3 are provided at their exhaust ends with steamtraps 10 which connect to return pipes 5. The returns from the pipes 5are ret eived in a return pipe 6 which is connected to a receptacle orreceiver 20. The receptacle or receiver 20 is connected by a pipe 60 tothe bottom of the boiler 1. The receptacle 20 is provided with an airescape pipe 7 having a check valve 170 opening towards the atmosphereand a ther- 5 mostatic valve 120. The receiver 20 is provided with afloat control valve F which shuts off communication to the pipe 7 whenthe receptacle is filled with water. In operation, vapor or low pressuresteam is generated in the boiler and passes through the radiators. Whenthe radiators are filled with steam, the flow is out of! or cont-rolledby the steam traps 10.

The condensate is collected and flows back through the pipe 6 into thereceptacle 20 and from the receptacle 20 through the pipe back to theboiler by gravity. Any air or gas in the system can flow out through thepipe 7, the check valve 170 preventing air from entering the system, andthe thermostatic valve 120 preventing steam or hot vapor from flowingout through the escape pipe 7. It a large amount of water should comedown to the receptacle 20 as by the opening of a cold radiator, thefloat will momentarily shut the air escape pipe '7 until the water canwork back to the boiler.

The advantages of this system are well understood and need not bedescribed at length. I use the term supply side of the system todesignate that part of the system extending from the boiler to andthrough the radiators, and I use the term return side of the system todesignate that part thereof extending from at the steam traps 10 back tothe boiler.

In this system, considerable trouble has 'diators, supply pipesextending been experienced in getting the condensate back to the boileror hot-well when the steam pressure is allowed to drop due to banking ofthe fire, shutting down of an oil burner, or shutting off the main steamsupply. Under these conditions'a vacuum may be produced in the supplyside of the system due to the condensation of the steam in the radiatorsand supply pipes and this vacuum may be high enough to hold a largeamount of water in the system. Under these conditions so little watermay be left in the boiler that the water line will be below a safe leveland should the fire be again started quickly as when an automatic oilburner is turned on, damage may be caused to the boiler or even anexplosion may be caused, when the boiler has built up a pressuresufficient to break the vacuum and allow all the water held in thesystem to he suddenly returned to the boiler.

To overcome this difiioulty, I provide a shunt pipe line 8 between thereturn side of the system and thepressure side of the system and providethis return pipe with means for allowing flow from the return side ofthe' system to the supply side of the system only. This means preferablis a check valve as 9 arranged as shown in Tig. 2 to open towards theboiler. This shunt pipe line is arranged between the receivingreceptacle20 and the main supply pipe 4. Under the conditions previouslydescribed, if a vacuum is created in the'supply side of the system, thevacuum will be broken or balanced by a flow through the shunt pipe line8, and the system will be balanced and any water trapped in the pipes orradiators can flow back through the return pipes and receptacle to theboiler. This provides an automatic means so that when the boiler isagain started in operation there is enough water therein for properoperation and burning of the boiler and danger of explosion iseliminated.

The details and arrangements herein shown and described may be greatlyvaried by a skilled mechanic without departing from the scope of myinvention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In a vapor or low pressure steam heating system, thecombination of a boiler, rafrom the boiler to the radiators, returnpipes extend ing from the radiators to the boiler so that the water ofcondensation will circulate back to the boiler by gravity, an elevatedreceiver in the return side of the system, a shunt pipe line extendingfrom the elevated receiver to the supply side of the system, and meansfor allowing a flow through the shunt pipe line from the receiver to thesupply side of the system only.

IRVING G. JENNINGS.

